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Milton was completely blind by the time he was about 43 years old. He reveals something of how he felt about this disability in “On His...

Milton's "On His Blindness" is an Italian sonnet written in the first person. In this, Milton, a deeply religious writer, explores how he feels about his blindness in light of his religious faith. 


The octave expresses a somewhat pessimistic attitude. Milton is frustrated with the way in which his blindness limits his ability to write. He feels that he has served God mainly as a writer and despairs because he will not be able to serve God in this fashion now that he is blind, asking "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"


In the sestet, Milton finds solace in the notion that there are many different ways to serve God, and that if his blindness is God's will, then God will accept those forms of faith and service which can be offered by a blind person, even if such service is limited to standing and waiting, as one can see in the final line of the poem.

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